In Forbidden Territory. Shawna Delacorte

to her lips, reviving all the heat and passion of the original kiss. A moment later any thought of a job with Mac’s company, trying to get her priorities straight or her true interest in Ty and whether she was trying to use him totally left her head. Logic…thoughts…concerns…none of it mattered. Her entire reality at that precise moment was filled with the remembered sensation of Tyler Farrell’s lips against hers and the heated desire he stirred in her.

      Angie undressed and went to bed, but sleep did not come easily. Her thoughts continued to center around Ty and the heated moment they had shared earlier that evening. She knew she could not allow this sexy man to sidetrack her from her goals.

      She had allowed her ex-fiancé to make decisions for her. It had resulted in a disastrous relationship. She had vowed to never again put herself in that position. It was up to her to set her life on a forward moving track and secure her future. That was her goal. She gathered her determination. It was her only goal. She would not be dissuaded from it—certainly not by a handsome playboy whose kiss made her skin tingle, her pulse race and her heart pound.

      She turned over, pounded her pillow into a comfortable shape and closed her eyes. She finally succumbed to a restless sleep filled with images of the very sexy and desirable Tyler Farrell.

      The next morning Angie wandered into the kitchen to make some coffee after taking her shower. She paused when she saw the note stuck to the refrigerator door. She looked at the clock. There was no getting around her brother’s workaholic nature. Not even seven o’clock yet and he was already gone. She shook her head and furrowed her brow as she read the note.

      Angie: Lots to do. Will be buried under a ton of work the next few days. Hope you didn’t mind too much being stuck with Ty yesterday. As soon as I finish this design project I’ll be able to spend time with you, help you get settled into your own apartment and find a job. I think one of our clients has an opening in his company for a receptionist. Come by the office and I’ll try to make some time to have lunch with you.

      Angie scanned the note again with a soft sigh of resignation. Nothing had changed. A receptionist job—it was obvious Mac didn’t have a clue what type of job she wanted, what she was qualified to do and what type of work experience she had. His only thought was to help her find an entry-level office position somewhere. How typical of Mac. He assumed she only wanted a job until she could find a husband rather than wanting to build a career for herself.

      Then she turned her attention to the other part of the note. A little grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. Did she mind being stuck with Ty? He might as well have asked her if she minded if Prince Charming paid a little bit of attention to her. A shiver of trepidation accompanied her thought and was followed by a sudden rush of excitement at the memory of the passionate kiss they had shared. She tried without success to dismiss the heated desire the memory evoked. Maybe it would be better if she found some other way of achieving her goal rather than spending a lot of time with Tyler Farrell in an attempt to elicit his help.

      And maybe tomorrow Prince Charming would sweep her off her feet and declare his undying love for her.

      Angie felt her eyes widen in shock at the full impact of the errant thought that had invaded her consciousness. She didn’t know where it came from, but she certainly needed to get rid of it as quickly as possible. She renewed her determination. One kiss did not mean anything. It was an enjoyable little interlude and that was it. She would let Ty know her areas of expertise and show him she was qualified for a responsible position with the company. In a few days Mac would be finished with his project and she could talk to him about it, too. Plain and simple. She breathed a sigh of relief. What felt out of control a few moments ago was now reined in and controlled.

      Angie busied herself around the house until mid-morning, then dressed and went to Mac’s office. No sooner had she entered the lobby than someone grabbed her arm and spun her around. She found herself looking into the handsome features and bright hazel eyes of Tyler Farrell. His devilish grin sent little tremors through her body. The place where his hand rested on her arm radiated a sensual warmth.

      “This is quite a coincidence. My lunch meeting just cancelled out on me so I have the next few hours free. I was just about to call to see if I could persuade you to have lunch with me. I already have a reservation at the Space Needle. Perhaps we could do the harbor cruise after lunch.” Ty cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. “So…are you available?”

      He flashed a devastatingly sexy smile and she melted on the spot. “Lunch?” She suddenly felt like a fifteen-year-old, all tongue-tied and flustered in the presence of the captain of the high school football team. She pulled in her rampaging desires and did her best to project a calm, confident persona. “Yes, I’d love it.” She tried to convince herself there was nothing wrong in having lunch with him again. It was nothing personal. After all, she had to eat anyway and Mac had asked Ty to take her sightseeing while he was busy.

      She would keep the conversation turned to business in general and specifically to available or upcoming positions in the company. Ty’s comment the day before about the company’s expansion plans hinging on Mac’s design continued to swirl around in her mind. Expansion meant new jobs, possibly in areas that did not currently exist. It was a perfect time for her to put in her bid for one of those newly created positions.

      But in the meantime there wasn’t anything wrong with an innocent afternoon of fun.

      Ty’s voice cut into her thoughts. “We have a little while before lunch. Has Mac shown you around our facility?”

      “No, I haven’t seen anything beyond the lobby and offices.”

      “Would you like a tour? I could show you around the design room, the lab and the shop where we do the actual boat construction.”

      Her entire manner leaped to rapt attention. “I’d love to have a guided tour.” It was perfect. She would have an opportunity to see how things worked, get more of a technical tour than Mac would ever take the time to give her. She could ask Ty questions she couldn’t ask Mac and certainly get more useful answers than her brother would give her. It would be the perfect setting to start her campaign to win Ty over to her side. She was certain Mac would listen to Ty. After all, Ty was his business partner in addition to being his best friend.

      Ty escorted her through the lobby and down a hallway, pausing a minute at the door to Mac’s office. “I’m going to take Angie on a tour of the facility.”

      Mac looked up from his work, then glanced at his watch. “Yes, a tour would be nice.” He looked at Angie. “I’m sorry I haven’t had any time to spend with you.”

      “I assume this means lunch is out?”

      A sheepish expression crossed his face. “I’ll try to be home for dinner.”

      “No need to worry about Angie being alone for dinner. I’ll take her out to grab something to eat.”

      She glanced questioningly at Ty for a moment. He hadn’t mentioned anything about dinner. She returned her attention to her brother. “He’s right. There’s no reason for you to pull yourself away from your design project before you’re ready. You stay and work as late as you need to and don’t worry about me.” She glanced at Ty. “I’ll be in good hands.”

      An involuntary glance toward Mac told Ty what he didn’t want to know. Mac’s expression was neither gracious nor distracted. Unlike many occasions when Mac’s thoughts had him so preoccupied he didn’t notice what was going on around him, this time there was no mistaking the fact that he was fully aware of his surroundings. It was obvious to Ty that Angie’s comment about being in good hands had caught Mac’s undivided attention.

      Ty turned toward Angie. “Are you ready for the VIP tour?”

      “Ready and willing.” A little shiver of something, she wasn’t sure what, told her she might be ready and willing for a lot more than a tour of the building and a business lunch.

      They left Mac’s office and Ty spent an hour showing her what they did and how they did it. Each step started with Mac’s initial design, computer testing of the design, a miniature